Barcelona's Asian Choir

From http://www.casaasia.cat/media/asset_publics/resources/000/025/030/original/coralasia.pdf

Casa Àsia and the the Barcelona City Council are promoting the creation of the Barcelona's Asian Choir, a choir devoted to sing Asian music only and formed by people of different cultures. The ages of the members of the choir shall be between 18 and 45 years old and they are currently being recruited after the audition made in Barcelona last April 23rd, 2012. Rehearsal sessions will take place every Monday from 8:00 pm to 9;30 pm at the headquarters of Casa Àsia in Barcelona. Barcelona's Asian Choir will be conducted by Carles Josep Comalada, present conductor of the female choir Actea, that also sings Chinese songs. People interested in this project may get more information by sending email at gpatinlaloy@casaasia.es.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="Logo of Barcelona's Asian Choir - image from Casa Àsia website"][/caption]

 

Workshop on the internationalization of Catalan companies in China

From http://www.eic.cat/wps/PA_Jornades/fitxa.jsp?codi=1084877 (in Catalan)

The College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia is organizing a free workshop on the Internationalization of Catalan companies in China that will be held on May 2nd, 2012 in their headquarters at Via Laietana 39, 5th floor, in Barcelona, at 6:30 pm.

The purpose of workshop is to share the expertise of the speakers on how to start a process of internationalization of Catalan companies in the Chinese market. The event will be introduced and presented by Mr. Jordi Guix, president of the Commission of Industrial Policy and Technological Innovation and coordinator of the China Working Group, and the discussion will be conducted by Mr. Albert Ferrari, industrial director at Sedal, S.L.. Invited speakers will be Sergi Cadevall, from Graells & Llonch, that provides services for industrial establishment of small and medium-sized companies in the Shanghai area; Joan Maurel, from Asecorp China; Carles Brugada, de l'empresa Brugada & Partners and Àlex Rubies, Head of Asia-Pacific markets of the Centre of Business Internationalization, ACC1Ó.

For further information, call +34 933 192 304 (from 9 to 14 h and from 16 to 18 h).

Downloadables:

- Registration form for members

- Registration form for non-members

Catalan olive oil Dauro among the awarded companies in Beijing's trade fair

From http://www.icex.es/icex/cda/controller/pageICEX/0,6558,5518394_5519005_6366453_4576772,00.html (in Spanish)

Spanish olive oil producers have taken home 8 out of the 16 awards of the International Olive Competition 2012, an event that was held in Beijing, China, on April 1st, 2012. The Family Reserve of Oro Bailén, produced by Andalusian company Galgon 99 has obtained the Gold Medal at the Intense Oil. Silver awards have been obtained by two other Andalusian companies, Potosí 10 and Almazaras de la Subbética, whereas Agroexplotaciones Tocuman and Castillo de Canena have received the bronze awards. Apart from these distinctions, Aceites Almenara (from Cuenca province) and Dauro-Aubocassa (from Torroella de Fluvià in Girona province, in Catalonia) have also obtained an special recognition by the jury.

Spanish virgin olive oil is the leader in the Chinese market, with a share in revenues of 58% and of 60% in volume. In 2011, total sales reached 55.7 million € and its consumption by Chinese citizens increased by 104% as compared to 2010's consumption level.

Beijing Foreign Studies University will teach Catalan language

From http://www.diaridegirona.cat/espanya-internacional/2012/03/09/universitat-xinesa-ensenyara-catala-partir-lany-vinent/551272.html (in Catalan)

The Beijing Foreign Studies University has announced an agreement with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in order to start teaching Catalan language and culture in 2013, as part of the 4-year degree on Spanish Studies. This will be the first experience of its kind in a Chinese university.

Taiwanese SET TV team visits Catalonia to report about a "calçotada"

From http://www.lamalla.cat/infolocal/camp_tarragona/article?id=1017776 (in Catalan)

A team from the Taiwanese channel SET TV has visited Valls (Tarragona province) to film a report about the traditional eating of young onion shoots, the so-called "calçotada". The documentary will be offered by the program "iWalker" (愛玩客), addressed to the Taiwanese young people and in which cultural festivities and habits from different countries around the world are presented by fellow Taiwanese backpackers led by actress Liao Yi-Chiao (廖苡喬). The visit started in a local bar, where they could try some small dishes based on calçots and drink cava wine. Later they were able to learn the whole process of the calçots: their cultivation, their harvesting, their cooking and the way they are eaten. SET TV is the most popular channel in Taiwan, with a 15% of audience share.

Fluidra creates new structure in East Asia

From http://www.fluidra.com/sites/en/new.html?uri=/en/contents/news/2012/fluidraindonesia.html and http://www.fluidra.com/sites/en/new.html?uri=/en/contents/news/2012/philjinasiadivision.html (in English)

Catalan company Fluidra, specialised in solutions for water conservation, handling, treatment and enjoyment, is creating a new structure to enter into East Asian markets. The company, based in Sabadell (Barcelona province), has a presence in 34 countries and has several production centres located throughout the world. Fluidra products are distributed to more than 170 countries due to an extensive sales network and the group has some 3,700 employees.

Fluidra has recently opened its subsidiary in Indonesia. Placed in the country’s capital, Jakarta, the subsidiary completes the plans of internationalization of the Group in South East Asia, area in which the company is already present in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The company, which in Asia will be Fluidra Indonesia, will access through this new market thanks to the acquisition of Dunia Renang, the second swimming pool company of the country, with a market share of 20% and a turnover of 3 million euros. Eloi Planes, CEO of Fluidra states: “with this new branch we make a great new step in the frame of our internationalization strategy, Fluidra is in 37 countries now. We are very watchful on the opportunities in every continent. The acquisition of Dunia Renang matches perfectly with our expansion plans in the area. We estimate a fast growth in the business in the coming years, and in this way we make sure to get more projects in stable islands as Bali, Surabaya or Sumatra".

To achieve their goals, Fluidra has appointed Dr. Phil Jin as its General Manager of the Asia Division, the new structure created by the Group, in order to further develop the business in one of the continents with the highest growth potential in the world. Phil Jin will have the mission to develop the business units of Fluidra and will be responsible for the operations of the companies the Group has in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, recently opened. Phil Jin is an American citizen born in China, who gained his PhD in Psycophysics at the University of Chicago, and an MBA at the University of Pittsburgh. He acquired a deep experience in various multinational companies with operations in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe. Before he joined Fluidra, Phil has been the CEO of ERA Holdings, a listed company in HK and the Group CEO of PSM International, a leading multinational company providing fastening solutions for the automotive, IT, technology and medical industry. As the General Manager for the Asian Division, Phil will report directly to Eloi Planes, the Group CEO.

The water market in Taiwan - A report for Spanish companies

From http://www.icex.es/icex/cda/controller/pageICEX/0,6558,5518394_5519172_5547593_4558437,00.html (in Spanish)

The Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) has released a 43-page report addressed to Spanish companies in the water sector about the situation and the potential of this market in Taiwan. The report is authored by Gonzalo Ferreiros, from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, and it gives a general view of the sector, its present situation and its commercial interest. You can download the report on the water market in Taiwan by clicking on the previous link.